Page:A plea for phonotypy and phonography - or, speech-printing and speech-writing (IA pleaforphonotypy00elliiala).pdf/32

28 This is the "money argument," the argument which will weigh the most and heaviest with the majority; but, like the others, it fails from its want of generality.

The futility of this argument may be first shown by our admitting it to the fullest extent. ⸮What does it assume? First, that a sufficient supply of books is already in the market for those who do, and will read; and, secondly, that the number of readers should not be increased. That the first is false, is proved by the immense sale of new and cheap books, such as Knight's Weekly Volume, Chambers's Tracts and Journal, Murray's Home and Colonial Library, and numberless other libraries and cheap publications. There are not books enough in existence for the number of readers; and there are not copies enough of the books already written for the number of those who now read. We do not consider the second assumption, that the number of readers has already reached its proper amount, worthy of a serious refutation. Even if we were disposed to allow (what we most emphatically refuse to admit) that the proportion of readers to non-readers is sufficient, yet, as the population steadily increases, both here and in America, the number of readers must steadily increase also, the same proportion being preserved. But we believe that the introduction of Phonotypy will, in twenty years, increase the number of readers three-fold, and, in a century, increase it tenfold. If, however, it only doubles the number in that time, there is a sufficient market for Phonotypy, without trenching, in any respect, upon heterotypic publications. If just double the number of persons read, just double the number of books must be produced, whether heterotypic or phonotypic; and if the accession be entirely phonotypic, there will be no waste of capital in the production of books in the phonotypic character, in preference to the heterotypic, for the books must be produced, at any rate. The books now printed in heterotypy will have served their purpose when read by the present generation. We can then afford to put them by, and supply the rising generation with new, or with new copies of these, printed in a new character. Undoubtedly, the progress of Phonotypy, as that of all reforms, will be gradual; and, for some time, we shall have heterotypy and phonotypy proceeding together. At first, there will be thousands of heterotypers to tens of phonotypers; in time, the proportion will change, until it becomes one of equality, and then the doom of heterotypy is sealed, and, in a hundred years, it will be only known by name. Still, during this interval, the heterotyper will have the advantage of being able to acquire a facility of reading phonotypy by less than an hour's study; while the phonotyper will find, that, "having acquired a habit of reading phonotypy, he will soon be able to read heterotypy with ease, much sooner than he could acquire the art upon the old system, and he will be saved for ever from the still greater and more terrible task of learning to spell. Thus our public libraries will still be useful depositories. After two generations, should Phonotypy succeed at all, the number of those who study heterotypy will be few; while there will always be, from the commencement of the success of Phonotypy, an immense number of persons who will never trouble their heads about heterotypy at all, and who would never have learned to read at all but for Phonotypy.